Industry

Being the returning officer

for the Wakefield constituency,

I hereby give notice

that the total number of votes recorded

for each candidate are as follows...

Dooling, David Michael, Liberal Democrat,

5,153.

Well done.

Stokes, Nancy, Green Party,

2,322.

Yeah! - (CROWD APPLAUDING)

Muck, Reginald Henry Ferrers de Chartley Norton,

Conservative Party,

- 16,454. - Yes!

Skibber, Peter Gary, Reform UK,

7,356.

Binface, Count, the Count Binface Party,

309.

Bevan, Jennifer, Labour Party.

- 17,892. - (CROWD CHEERING LOUDLY)

I declare Jennifer Bevan the MP for Wakefield.

After nearly an entire generation

of Conservative austerity,

the winds of change are finally at our backs...

Hey, hey, listen.

At least you don't have to keep fucking Margaret Thatcher now.

Hey.

Thing is,

I'm an omnivore.

I liked fucking Maggie T.

She liked it too.

Aw, I'm so sorry.

Oh, fuck.

You'll miss elevenses.

Time is it? (SIGHS)

Your uncle's been dressed and prowling around downstairs

for about five hours.

- (HENRY GROANS) - (BED CREAKING)

I stayed in London last night.

Claridge's.

That sounds expensive.

- Yeah, well, big bed for one. - (CURTAIN RATTLING)

I can do that.

We're celebrating you tonight.

I'd really rather not have to explain away your absence

at your 40th as well.

Molly, can you, um, fetch my breeks?

Don't worry if they're not ironed or anything.

I really thought we might get a moment's privacy.

Are you gonna be peg-totty?

No, actually, I, um...

I have to receive that lovely queer florist from Mells.

- Do you, uh... - (CURTAINS RATTLING)

I just said that I would do that!

Yasmin.

You have to let her fulfill her function.

Just let her do the fucking curtains.

Right.

Happy birthday, darling.

I'm sorry, sir. - (GRUNTS)

No, don't worry.

She's learning.

Oh, fuck.

Alexander, have you been introduced

to Jennifer Bevan yet?

Junior minister. The young lady we lost to.

I, um... I had her at a dinner last month.

I'm surprised that none of the senior ministers

have reached out yet.

It's been ten weeks already.

Well, Labour don't think they need the tabloids.

We backed them.

Only after you knew they'd win.

So you think I'm yesterday's man?

No.

No. Not at all.

But maybe not tomorrow's.

You could say that legacy media

isn't exactly courting the voters of tomorrow.

I think Jenni could help on that front.

So I've invited her to Henry's birthday party tonight.

Good. Hmm.

It was in your father's credenza.

I had it serviced.

Will you, uh... Will you excuse me?

We'll get him there.

- (BREATHES SHAKILY) - (DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE)

Beautiful day for a birthday, sir.

- (SHOTGUN THUDDING) - (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Was there something I could help with, sir?

No, I was just, um... I was just cleaning my gun.

Leave it to me, sir.

Beach, the, um

lock on the armory's a little sticky.

Maybe a touch of WD-40?

Very good, sir.

You know what?

Better yet

- change the lock. - (KEYS JANGLING)

We have, uh... We have guests coming.

Who knows what ancient antipathies

will have people sprinting for the armory, eh?

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Very good, sir.

Do you realize your behavior is unacceptable?

This listlessness is one thing, but when it manifests as apathy

for your life, your wife...

No one expects you to be uxorious,

but you're being callous.

What's the path out of this?

SSRIs, CBT, another cocktail of acronyms,

praying for the right dosage at the right interval.

Some other arsehole telling me

to make sure my eyes see sunlight first thing.

Why don't you try lithium again?

'Cause it made me fat.

Better than this.

- Do you love her? - Of course I fucking do.

The lithium muted everything.

I mean, you try living your life

without feeling the upper reaches

of any emotion.

Oh no. Oh no. Hang on a moment. (LAUGHS)

Your father wouldn't have indulged.

Well, no fucking shit!

He didn't end up indulging it in himself either.

You need to find some structure!

There's only so much she'll take.

Where's she gonna go, really?

Fuck my father and his genetic inheritance.

Today was always going to be difficult.

- He loved you. - No.

No, no, no.

He left me.

Do you know what would have been more loving?

A fucking vasectomy.

I sometimes think about what you saw.

It was an unimaginable horror.

What if I finished you here?

The dislocation you feel isn't going anywhere.

Normal people don't feel like this!

You can ignore it, numb it, drown it out,

or

integrate it into your life.

Step by step.

Day by day.

One day

you'll find you've walked out of the woods.

- (KNOCKING ON DOOR) Hmm.

Um, my aunt sent a very late RSVP,

so she's coming.

She's on Charles's side.

She as problematic as him?

I really want us to start looking

at each other properly again.

I want...

I want you to see me.

I want to look at you and I want you to look at me.

You know, actually look at me.

Stand up.